House and Cuddy finally kiss in “Joy”

There was a patient of the week, there were biting sarcasms and a dose of House-isms, but all you really need to know is that House and Cuddy finally kissed. And it wasn’t a tentative peck, and House not only participated, he initiated it.

A single, pregnant teen named Becca has chosen Cuddy to adopt her baby. Cuddy meets with Becca, who describes her life as a loser. She said she chose Cuddy because, as a doctor and the hospital administrator, she is the opposite of a loser.

While talking to Becca, Cuddy notices a rash. She brings Becca to the hospital to have it checked out. Cameron says it just looks like a topical rash, but Cuddy admits Becca and calls for a full prenatal workup. An ultrasound shows that the baby’s lungs are underdeveloped. Becca will stay in the hospital until the lungs develop a bit more. But she starts to bleed, and Cuddy has to decide whether to recommend that Becca risk her life to increase the baby’s chances of being born healthy, or risk the baby’s life and ensure Becca’s health.

Becca says she’s given the baby nine months, and she’s tired of sacrificing her life for the baby. She wants the baby delivered immediately. In the delivery room, the baby fails to cry just long enough to make Cuddy a wreck; when she does, a beaming Cuddy holds the baby girl, who she names Joy. Cuddy looks beautiful.

House keeps telling Cuddy she is making a mistake. He throws baby vomit on her shoulder to give her a glimpse of her future; she cleans her sweater and keeps working. He comes in and breaks a desk lamp to illustrate what kids do, she just tells him he will have to pay for it. Wilson tells House he is acting threatened by Cuddy’s happiness.

Cuddy goes home to paint her nursery yellow, then installs baby furniture. She goes to check on Joy, then tells Becca how well the baby is doing. Becca tells Cuddy that seeing her hold the baby was so beautiful, it inspired her to devote her life to being a good mother. Becca will keep the baby.

Cuddy is devastated. She is sitting on the floor in her house, crying, when House comes by. She tells him she will not try to adopt again; she can’t take it. House says that’s too bad, because she would have made a great mother. Cuddy is furious at his change of opinion. “Why do you need to negate everything?” she asks, and he whispers, “I don’t know.”

For House to admit he doesn’t know why he does something is a big deal, and it softens Cuddy. Then House grabs her and kisses her. She gets up on her tiptoes and kisses back. And he doesn’t just stand there like he did when Cameron kissed him, he and Cuddy get passionate. Then they stop, House says goodnight and leaves.

That’s when the Fox message board began to light up — fans have been waiting for this for a long, long time. Some want a Huddy (House and Cuddy) hookup, some want House to be with Cameron (a Hameron hookup).